UMQEQESHI weKaizer Chiefs, u-Ernst Middendorp, akambambele inhliziyo unozinti uVirgil Vries owenze iphutha eliholele ekutheni leli qembu lihlulwe yiMamelodi Sundowns emdlalweni we-Absa Premiership eFNB Stadium,eNasrec, ngoMgqibelo.
IChiefs ihlulwe ngo 2-1 emdlalweni ebikade iwuphethe kusukela uqala waze wayophela. Amagoli eSundowns ashaywe ngu-Anthony Laffor noLebohang Maboe esiwombeni ngasinye. EleChiefs libekwe enethini nguWillard Katsande.
Bekubukeka la maqembu ezogcina edlale ngokulingana ngo 1-1 kodwa iphutha likaVries oweqiwe yibhola likaLyle Lakay abekade ethi uyaliphumela, lishaqise cishe wonke umuntu enkundleni. Emuva komdlalo, ezinkundleni zokuxhumana, abalandeli beChiefs kade bembiza ngawo wonke amagama.
UVries waseNamibia kade engene endaweni ka-Itumeleng Khune okuqinisekisiwe ukuthi uyoze adlale ngesizini ezayo ngenxa yokulimala ehlombe. Abanye onozinti beChiefs nguBruce Bvuma noBrylon Petersen ovimba eqenjini leMultichoice Diski Challenge.
UMiddendorp, ohlulwe okokuqala kusukela ebuyile kwiChiefs, akacacisanga noma uzobuyisela yena uVries ngoLwesithathu uma sebebhekene neBidvest Wits eBidvest Stadium koweligi.
“Akukho okuyisimanga kule nto eyenziwe nguVries. Ngicabanga ukuthi kuhle kuyena ukuthi siyadlala ezinsukwini ezintathu neWits. Lokhu sizokulungisa kulezi zinsuku esinazo. Sizomeseka. Ngeke simkhombe ngeminwe, mina noma abanye abadlali. Khona kukhulu ukudumala kodwa sizokwesekana. Okwamanje ngizothi okubalulekile wukwenza iqembu lihleleke kahle,sibambane,” kusho uMiddendorp.
UVries ujoyine iChiefs ekuqaleni kwesizini emuva kokukhululwa yiBaroka. Ucoshwe yiBaroka ekade ededelwe bhusende yiMaritzburg United azakhela kuyona isigcwagcwa ngokudedela ibhola ibhekene neSundowns umdlalo usuyophela ngesizini ka-2016/2017. UVries ufike eMzansi ngo-2011 ezovimbela iLamontville Golden Arrows. Nakhona wahamba esenyamanambana kubalandeli ngenxa yamaphutha.
Umqeqeshi weSundowns, uPitso Mosimane, uthe uyethemba ukuthi ngeke uMiddendorp ahlale ephutheni likaVries ngoba okwenzeke emdlalweni kuyenzeka ebholeni.
“Ngiyamzwela uVries, ngicabanga ukuthi udlale kahle futhi ubelokhu edlala kahle. Ngiyethemba ukuthi akazulahlekelwa wukuzethemba ngoba wenze iphutha elilodwa. Ngethemba ukuthi uyakuqonda lokho futhi unomqeqeshi omuhle okuqondayo ukuthi kube yiphutha, amaphutha ayenzeka. Ngikhumbula siye eMaritzburg emdlalweni obalulekile lapho sasidinga khona ukuwina kodwa sadlala ngokulingana ngoba uDenis Onyango wageja ibhola, umdlali weMaritzburg washaya igoli. Kuyenzeka ebholeni,” kusho uMosimane.
Mayelana nokuhlulwa yiSundowns uMiddendorp uthe:” Besingekho bukhali kangako phambili. Besithatha izinqumo ezingafanele kwesinye isikhathi umgadli azithole esevalela uzakwabo isikhala. Senze amaphutha ezindaweni eziningi. Kodwa sizokucubungula sizame ukuthola ukuthi yikuphi esingakwenza kangcono. Kuningi okwenzekile okuhle.”